Quick, quicker and quickest. These adjectives characterize the speed of communication processing that is desired and often demanded by subscribers with respect to telecommunication services from service providers. Thus, efforts by service providers are continually underway to expedite all stages of call processing for the benefit of subscribers and ultimately the benefit of the service providers as well.
One stage of call processing that is a focus of effort is information retrieval. Expediting information retrieval is especially desired with respect to telecommunication services that generally require a database search for information before a particular communication may be further routed. Expediting information retrieval in theses cases is especially desired because the particular communication is essentially on hold until the information is retrieved or other steps are taken with respect to routing the call. A communication on hold may translate to an unhappy caller or subscriber. A communication on hold may take up valuable network resources. Thus, efforts are underway to expedite information retrieval so that a minimum amount of time is spent on hold by any particular communication.
A type of telecommunications service that generally requires a database search with respect to call routing is an area number service. Such area number services are offered by various service providers under various service marks such as the ZipCONNECT.RTM. service from BellSouth Corporation. A subscriber who subscribes to an area number service is provided with a single directory number to distribute to customers, to advertise, etc. Upon receipt of a communication directed to this directory number, the area number service determines the location of the caller based on the calling number. Then, the area number service retrieves information from a database with respect to the further routing of the communication. This information, as provided by the subscriber, may specify that calls from the location or area of the caller are to be routed for connection or termination to a particular subscriber location. The area number service generally follows up on the retrieved information by routing the communication to the particular subscriber location. Further details regarding an exemplary area number service are provided in the commonly assigned patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,107, entitled Method for Routing Calls Based on Predetermined Assignments of Callers Geographic Locations and incorporated herein by reference.
An area number service is particularly useful to a subscriber that has two or more locations, but that desires to distribute or advertise only a single directory number. For example, a burger business with three different locations (A, B & C) may advertise a single directory number such as BUR-GERR. Calls from a first area may be routed to location A based on the information retrieved by the area number service; calls from a second area may be routed to location B based on the information retrieved by the area number service; and calls from a third area may be routed to location C based on the information retrieved by the area number service.
The example of the burger business also may be used to demonstrate the reason for the interest in expediting the call processing stage of information retrieval with respect to the routing of calls such as a call dialed to BUR-GERR. A hungry caller salivating for a burger dials BUR-GERR and is essentially put on hold by the area number service until information is retrieved with respect to the further routing of the communication. The longer it takes to retrieve the information, the longer the caller is denied his or her burger, and the less likely it is that the caller will make another call for a burger to BUR-GERR. The diminishment of the likelihood that the caller will call for a burger from BUR-GERR makes the burger business unhappy, and in particular, makes the burger business unhappy with its area number service provider. Thus, the service provider is very interested in expediting call processing and in expediting the call processing stage of information retrieval.
Generally, information retrieval in an area number service has been accomplished through the use of two queries to real-time databases with respect to each communication. Two queries typically have been necessary because of the large amounts of data involved. For ease of reference, we refer to such an information retrieval system as a "two query system". Per this two query system, upon receipt of the communication to the subscriber's directory number, a first query is made to a real-time database for caller location information based on the calling number of the communication. Then, a second query is made to another (or in some cases the same) real-time database for call processing information based on the caller location information. In other words, the first query results in the translation of the calling number into a location and the second query retrieves call processing information based on the location ascribed to the calling number. Thus, a disadvantage of this two query system is that call processing is delayed while each of the queries to the real-time databases is carried out.
As noted, the two query system makes use of one or more real-time databases to obtain information necessary to further route a communication. A real-time database is used to store the information relating to a subscriber and the subscriber's designations with respect to the routing of communications directed to the subscriber's directory number. Even with respect to a single subscriber, this information may be a great deal of information. With hundreds and thousands of subscribers in the service area of a service provider, such a large amount of information to be stored may result in the use of multiple real-time databases. Further, each of these real-time databases may have to hold a lot of information and thus, take up a lot of the storage medium holding the database. Thus, another disadvantage of the two query system is that a lot of storage medium in a computer system or network serving an area number service must be devoted to storing the subscriber related information in one or more realtime databases.
Some of the disadvantages of the two-query system used in conjunction with area number services have been enumerated above. But these disadvantages are not limited only to the two-query system, to area number services, or to telecommunications technology. These disadvantages and equivalent disadvantages may be present in any type of call or data processing system that requires the retrieval of information from a database prior to the connection or termination of a communication or throughput of the data. In addition, these disadvantages and equivalent disadvantages may be present in connection with any type of information retrieval system that requires the retrieval of information from a database that contains a large amount of data. Other areas wherein these disadvantages or equivalent disadvantages also may be present will occur to those skilled in the art.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system that expedites call processing by expediting the information retrieval stage of call processing.
There is a particular need for a method and system that expedites call processing with respect to telecommunication services that generally require a database search for information before a particular communication may be further routed.
Also, there is a specific need for a method and system that expedites call processing with respect to telecommunication services such as area number services that use the two query system in conjunction with one or more real-time databases.
In addition, there is a further need for a method and system that obviates the necessity of making two queries to obtain call processing information with respect to a communication such as used in the two query system.
There is yet another need for a method and system that reduces the amount of storage medium in a computer system or network that must be devoted to serving an area number service or other service.